Receptacle for Produce

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a receptacle for produce. The receptacle includes a side wall and a label area for a label including a code. The label area is substantially flat and located on the side wall. The label is adapted to be adhered to the label area. The wall is disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical so as to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention broadly relates to a receptacle. The invention particularly relates to a receptacle having a label with a bar code.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Produce is commonly packaged and sold in a receptacle with slanting side walls which define an open mouth. Once the receptacle is filled up with produce such as mushrooms, the open mouth is typically sealed with cling wrap, instead of a lid, to cover an uneven surface formed by the uppermost layer of the produce.

It is common practice to provide information about the produce and a bar code on a label for attachment to the receptacle. In light of the impracticality of adhering the label onto the uneven surface, previous attempts have been made to adhere the label to the bottom surface or a side wall of the receptacle.

Adhering the label to the bottom surface has the disadvantage that the information about the produce cannot be readily seen when receptacles are stacked on top of one another. Adhering the label to a side wall has the disadvantage that reading of the bar code by a code reader quite often fails due to the angle at which the wall is disposed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a receptacle which is capable of facilitating effective reading of the bar code by the bar code reader or which will at least provide a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a receptacle for produce, the receptacle including:

a side wall; and

a label area for a label including a code, the label area being substantially flat and located on the side wall, the label being adapted to be adhered to the label area;

wherein the wall is disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical so as to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a receptacle and label combination for produce having:

a side wall;

a label area being substantially flat and located on the side wall, the label being affixed to the label area;

wherein the wall is disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical so as to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.

Preferably the selected angle is greater than 4 degrees. Most preferably the selected angle is substantially 6 degrees to the vertical.

Preferably, the label is adhered to the label area by an adhesive such as glue.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of labelling a receptacle having a side wall with a flat label area for a label, the method including the steps of:

providing the side wall at a selected acute angle to the vertical; and

affixing the label to the label area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a receptacle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the receptacle of FIG. 1 showing a side wall;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the receptacle of FIG. 1 showing another side wall; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a receptacle in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be appreciated that the receptacle of the present invention is most suitable for containing produce such as mushrooms which are typically packed in the receptacle for sale. It should however be understood that the receptacle may be used to contain other products and be used in combination with a complementary lid.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a receptacle 10 for produce includes four side walls 12, 14, 16 and 18 and a base 20. The four side walls 12, 14, 16 and 18 in combination define an open mouth 22 (FIG. 2).

Turning to FIG. 3, the side wall 12 includes a label area 24 for a label 26. It should be appreciated that the label area 24 may be provided on any one or more of the other walls 14, 16 and 18. The label 26 has a bar code 28 and other information detailing, for example, the source, brand, weight and price of the produce. The label area 24 is substantially flat and located on the side wall 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the label 26 is made of polyethylene terephthalate PET (also known as APET) and is adhered to the label area 24 by an adhesive such as glue.

Referring to FIG. 2, the wall 12 is disposed at an acute angle indicated by a to the vertical so as to facilitate disengagement of the receptacle 10 from a mould in the manufacturing process. The acute angle a is 6 degrees in the present embodiment but may be anything greater than 4 degrees so as to facilitate effective reading of the bar code 28 by a code reader (not shown) which includes a scanner head which may be fixed at a counter or movable.

Referring to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the receptacle 32 of the present invention has a differently configured base 34. The angle between the slanting label bearing side wall and the vertical remains the same as that in the above embodiment.

Now that preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in some detail, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the receptacle of the present invention may offer at least the following advantages:

1. it enables easy disengagement of the receptacle from the mould in the manufacturing process;

2. it facilitates effective scanning of the bar code on the receptacle; and

3. it allows display of the label in a location visible to consumers when the receptacle is stacked on a shelf.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description. 

1. A receptacle for produce, the receptacle including: a side wall; and a label area for a label including a code, the label area being substantially flat and located on the side wall, the label being adapted to be adhered to the label area; wherein the wall is disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical so as to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.
 2. A receptacle of claim 1, wherein the selected angle is greater than 4 degrees.
 3. A receptacle of claim 1, wherein the selected angle is substantially 6 degrees to the vertical.
 4. A receptacle of claim 1, wherein the label is adhered to the label area by an adhesive such as glue.
 5. A receptacle and label combination for produce having: a side wall; a label area being substantially flat and located on the side wall, the label being affixed to the label area; wherein the wall is disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical so as to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.
 6. A method of labelling a receptacle having a side wall with a flat label area for a label, the method including the steps of: providing the side wall at a selected acute angle to the vertical; and affixing the label to the label area. 